Game Changer (The Field Party)

“Looks like I interrupted something. Sorry. I should have called,” he said, then gave Brett a nod before turning to walk back out the door.

“Wait, uh…” What was I going to say? Invite him in? To watch a movie with us? Apologize for having a life? He couldn’t just decide to stop by and assume I was alone. It annoyed me that he thought he could, but then again, Asa was at my house. He’d come to see me.

He turned back to look at me and smiled. “Maybe another time,” he told me, then didn’t wait for me to say anything before walking back out to his truck. I wanted to run after him and tell him I’d come. But I had Brett inside and I couldn’t. Closing the door, I was so deflated, I didn’t know how to fix my mood to face Brett. He was going to have questions.

Brett hadn’t started the movie back up. The room was silent except for the muffled sound of Rosa’s music coming from her room directly above us. I inhaled deeply and straightened my shoulders. I was fine. It was fine.

Turning, I walked back toward Brett, who was watching me closely. I gave him a small, forced smile and sat back down. He didn’t start the movie.

“Want to tell me why Asa Griffith was here and thought you might want to go get a burger with him and his friends?”

That was a fair question. One he had every right to ask. We had been dating for more than a month now, and I hadn’t told him about my night at Nash’s.

“Asa is a friend of mine,” I replied simply.

“Since when?” he asked, not accepting that response.

“Since recently.” I had to say more, but I wasn’t sure how to say more.

“How did you recently become friends?”

“We met through Tallulah Liddell.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You know Tallulah? How?”

“Last week. She invited me to a party at Nash’s.”

Brett sat up straight and set the bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table in front of us. “You went to a party at Nash Lee’s house and didn’t tell me?”

Now that hit me wrong. “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t aware I was supposed to tell you my every move.” My tone was no longer apologetic but pissed.

“You know that’s not what I mean. We’ve been dating now for over a month. I’m not seeing anyone else. Just you. I thought we had something here. Apparently I thought wrong.”

“We have been dating. Yes. But I wasn’t aware it was an exclusive thing. I thought it was just fun. We’re going off to college soon.”

He ran a hand through his hair and looked at me like I had said something absurd. “So, you were on a date with Asa at this party?”

“No. I went with…” I paused then, unsure how to explain that I’d ridden with Brady and Riley after telling him that Tallulah had been who’d invited me. I hadn’t said Riley because explaining how I knew her would be even more difficult since she was a year older than me. “Tallulah.”

It sounded like I was lying, but then I was lying, so there was that.

Brett stood up then, so I did too. Was he leaving? Could I call Asa and still go with him to get a burger? I felt guilty thinking that when Brett looked so hurt and upset. Brett liked me and I liked him, but that was it. There was no consuming attraction to him like I had for Asa. However, Brett saw me, he liked me, he asked me out. I wasn’t sure Asa would ever want to see me the way Brett did. It was so confusing.

“I was unaware you even knew Tallulah. When we saw them at the table eating, you didn’t mention knowing her. You didn’t go speak to her. That was just a little over a week ago. Forgive me if I find this all a little hard to believe.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it because I didn’t know what to say. He was right. I was lying and I was bad at it. However, telling him the truth seemed more cruel. I wasn’t so sure the truth was always best. Not in this case. I had known deep down he liked me more than I liked him, but I’d enjoyed the company and let it go. This was what came of that.

“I need to go,” he said, then started for the door.

“Wait!” I said, wishing I could say something to fix this. I liked Brett. He was a great friend. He had been my first real friend here in Lawton. I didn’t want him to leave like this, but I wasn’t sure what I could say to make this all right. He was standing there expecting me to say something, and I had nothing. Not one thing. So I blurted out, “Don’t you want your movie?” I winced at the way that sounded. He had needed more from me, and I’d not been able to give it to him.